Pseudoscience? Scam?

It seems lately my parents are falling for such unprovable pseudo-science products such as quantum pendants emitting so-called 'scalar energy' (I must admit I did wear such a pendant when I didn't know better) and also infra-red emitting stones supposedly to cure back pain. It pains me that being a Masters graduate in Physics I can not argue intelligently for or against such pseudo-science (for my Masters is in fact in a different specialization of semiconductor physics, but I should not let that hamper my quest for knowledge).

The 'scalar energy' pendant has apparently been proven by a doctor (?) to not do anything (?). Question marks indicate the questionable credibility of the poster making the claim, as no data nor CV of the poster is available.

Here's a video of a small-scale blind test that shows the Power Balance Bracelets are ineffective:

Now to the infrared emitting stones...

From , "Far infrared ray is well absorbed and has powerful penetration. So it delivers heat deeper into the body. It is beneficial to human among other kinds of visible ray. [Visible rays are beneficial to human body??? - pseudoscience alert!!!] It uses novel serpentine(known for its high emission rate of far infrared rays) attached moxibustion(through which the infrared rays emit) for effective penetration deep into the body."

The serpentine stone used in the Korean product above is described here . Am not sure of its infrared emission/transmission properties.

This post is an early compilation of reading materials. I might return to develop these into more coherent arguments in future -- for now it seems a pointless waste of energy. Furthermore, if my parents are responding positively to a placebo effect, then what's to complain?

No longer redundant

as long as i'm in this house, i am redundant. as long as i'm redundant, i can never learn to be -- nor fully achieve -- independence. it is a blessing to be, very soon, liberated from the pessimism of my father. but can you blame someone who has become totally jaded through a lifetime as an unaccomplished engineer? it is just unfortunate that being pessimistic, he naturally spreads this energy to the people around him; and it is we who live with him that see this side of him the most and feel the effects.

i hope dad and mum can take care of themselves, happily, when i'm away.

...Comes Around

Am plugging this blogpost by Sabrina J. cause I like it very much for its sincerity and basically it's all true that karma goes around, comes around -- and still never bothers to ask for directions.

Booby Rants - What Goes Around...

Of mutual weirdness

It is important to remind myself that i am thus far successful in this life journey by keeping the determination to not bow to societal pressures to fit in and be quiet. For the high points in life come from standing out with a sore thumb. Right now i guess i'm just looking for someone who relates to this thought, to fall in mutual weirdness with...

Who are you, my song-giver?
Whispering words into my head
Come to me, my dream maker
My destiny... my fate

tinyurl.com/SongGiver

Collective battle

this is a reminder to self to choose battles wisely. some battles can be won by sidestepping the mountain and thus conquering oneself by choosing not to conquer said mountain. no use engaging in debates on social networking sites which eventually would hold no impact and sooner or later come to naught.

and as such, "unfriending" and "unfollowing" concepts come to mind as very practical solutions in achieving the peaceful mind. some colleagues told me before that to overcome the opponent, we must embrace the opponent's ideology and thoughts. that is, purposely taking in the input of the opponent and then decide to use it as a weapon later. while this might work in several circumstances, again this boils down to whether this is a 'fight' worth fighting.

if for a scientific debate all opposing views are held into consideration then i am agreeable. but for open topics such as religion and politics taking into account the opposition is often tedious and furthermore, righteousness is subjective. as such, it is imperative to remind oneself that one's collection of thoughts and beliefs are unique and may not be shared by the collective 'others'. this is how 'geniuses' are born and where Nobel prize winners reside.

for if they were to take the low ground and remain under the radar in order to remain 'safe', they would not have had impacted humanity with their ideas in the first place. in an intimidating environment, genius is killed. as such, it is imperative for oneself to be aware that 'to see the change in the world, one must first change oneself'. and it is with this belief, that i change my surroundings to a more receptive and conducive one.

and to be aware of the fact that one can choose the battles to fight, and not needing to engage each one that appears before the very eyes, for it might be true that the most obvious battle is a red herring, while the sharks come circling by...

intermission

i've been thinking of creating a new blog which is public -- unlike this one which is now private due to too much personal information -- which i can then share my random thoughts. oh it feels so good to be typing like this. else, my thoughts have no way of release out of this mind. many things have happened in this past month. this month started with my viva voce which completed successfully and it shall end with the submission of the final theses.

i finally now can detach myself from the uninspiring production environment and i now no longer go to work and "pretend" to work as i did for the past couple of months, now that my masters is really over and done with. i certainly hope that my next move will not be such a downer, but hoping is not enough. i must work for it, to maintain a positive attitude and to persevere on for the next 3 years to obtain a PhD.

there are many times when i would be full of confidence; undeniably, there are also times where i would lose it and be filled with doubt. for it is a large step, to move away from my comfort zone right into the heart of new zealand. however, i am comforted by the fact that people there are renowned for their friendliness, and i have confidence that this next step is right for me.

as Queen writes in "We are the Champions", "you gave me fame and fortune and everything that goes, i thank you all. but it's been no bed of roses... no pleasure cruise. i consider it a challenge to my human race that i never lose!"

Return to Pondering

It was when choices were limited that the decision was simple -- to accept, or not. It is, as it is now, that when the choices become almost boundless that one begins to search deep within... and the deafening silence as the important questions are asked is shocking... The realization that "I don't know what I really want"!

This post is a continuation, an elaboration of the previous posting. I'm writing this to aid my thought process. I've known for a long time that I have a flair and interest in research and academia, but the frustration of not really knowing what is it that I would gladly spend time doing research in, is not encouraging.

What I am sure now is the type of environment that I yearn for, due to the experience I have had now thus far, but that's about it. Am I asking for too much perhaps? Am I looking for inspiration in the wrong manner, perhaps?

All I know is that these things will fall into place with time, but I have a hurried, passionate rushed nature -- always pushing myself, and that is the way I work and excel. Perhaps, I will sleep on it and return to pondering tomorrow. Good night, world.

Of pencil and paper, and crystal balls

Just finished reading a wonderfully written paper on graphenes (thin sheets of carbon) by A.K. Geim and K.S. Novoselov. This must be the very first paper I've read from the first word to the last, and though I do not profess to understand the very involved physics, I liked what I did not understand. And though lots of distractions abounded -- mostly self-inflicted in the form of Facebook -- I savoured every word of the article. Which I must say, must be one of the first times this has happened. Although I've read so many papers in my Masters research, most times I would just glaze through or get so lost at some point (due to clumsily worded sentences, unexplained technical jargons, or too much maths!) that I skipped large portions or lost interest in persevering.

But this paper was so well-written, in my humble opinion, with a mixture of creative 'non-scientific' sub-headings and easy-going language, that it didn't make the reader feel (overtly) stupid.

I'm currently seriously considering my real interest of research, knowing full well that I haven't defined it and it is high time now that my Masters thesis is blossoming well (I hope my supervisors think so too! And approve it soon so I can submit for oral defence!), for me to sit down and put down on paper what it is that would motivate me to work on -- even without the benefit of a salary.

Yes, I believe that should be the main criterion in deciding what makes one happy. Just ask: If you were not reimbursed financially, what is it that you would do willingly? Or perhaps I should rephrase it in a more practical manner: In your spare time, away from the office, away from working hours, what 'work' would you be willing to continue spending time on?

I remember spending nights almost without sleeping in my undergrad days, coding in C++ (one of my favourite courses, besides Public Speaking!), fine-tuning Flash animations (now almost forgotten to me unfortunately) and troubleshooting in Linux for my Bachelor's project (my supervisor made it a challenge for me to beat him in figuring out how things worked, and it was fun to try to!). It was at those times I never felt forced to do those tasks, I was even willing to forgo sleeping time for them. Now when I think back I realize, that those were what made me happy :)

It is high time, it is imperative for me to choose my next path wisely and correctly. Surprising, isn't it? Such a simple question... which on first thought you think you know the answer, but on writing it down, the idea becomes as thin as the paper it is written on. What 'work' would make you happy?

Lost Thoughts

"It's been a long time since I took a breather..." I start in my head, and instantly feel a rush of thoughts that begged to be written down immediately. I click on the notepad icon on my taskbar... nothing happens. The CD I'm burning has been stuck at 77% forever, partially hanging the computer and forcing nothing to be done.

"It's been a long time since I took a breather..." I start again, repeating the phrase in my head so that I don't forget how to start my story. But this time it sounds no more meaningful. I feel my mind shift from a calm contentedness into an internal frown. I actually feel the frown, but I don't think it's visible on my face. An internal frown.

"It's been a long time since I took a breather..." My eagerness to write fades at an inverse exponential speed, so quickly like someone trying to catch the falling leaves of summer with his bare hands. It's no use. They're falling fast, on a one-way street to gravity, and it's no use. The ones already fallen are no use. The ones on their way are doomed. The ones still not fallen know their fate.

My enthusiasm fades as quickly as it comes. Always. This I know for a fact. Writers never hold on to a muse for too long. We are travellers in an ethereal world, jumping between states of transition without sitting down, but standing and looking around, then getting back on the train. Sometimes we write about it, sometimes we smile, and sometimes the train whisks us out of our minds.

And we follow. As I do now, after terminating that pesky, stupid burning process that will never succeed. Some things are never meant to.

As I try to regain my original thoughts I find, to no surprise, that I cannot. It's the way things are. It's just the way it is. Those thoughts have been lost.

But all in, it's been a long time since I took a breather.

Wrong Choice of Clothing

I just read Brenda Benedict's article Sambal on the Side (The Star) in which she quoted a German saying, "There is no bad weather. Just a wrong choice of clothing". This is a variation of for e.g. Jennifer Love Hewitt's song "Barenaked" in which she sings "Life's what you make it", and highlights the proactive ability of humans in being able to adapt to whatever situation life throws at you, including adapting the situation itself.

How many of us feel trapped by circumstances? We should never feel that way. Most of us have the ability to create those circumstances, but not many have the courage to embrace change, and some have wallowed too long in those circumstances that they have defined the comfort zone.

So the next time you find yourself in harsh weather, just change your clothes. Figuratively speaking (and not out in the weather, of course!).

Fear of Guns

After having the temperature scanner (for H1N1 fever screening) thrusted at the forehead daily, one would no longer have a fear of guns.

Out of Sight

Please listen to my latest baby, and leave a comment! :)



Download link

A Compliment Gone Wrong

The day before yesterday, my company organized a Technical Symposium. Basically this was a platform for us engineers to present our findings and achievements to fellow colleagues and bring them to the attention of our top directors.

Now, there was one remarkable innovation by the Failure Analysis team, in which they improvised on a technique to remove silicon material from a surface.

Now, I'm always a person to give credit where credit is due. And I noticed the speakers were not bringing enough attention to this innovative technique. I decided I had to complement them in the form of a disguised question at the end of their speech.

I waited until they finished, then raised my hand.

"Thank you, (Name) and (Name). I would like to clarify something," and started my question:

"That ingenious idea you presented, is it unique to our company?"

I hoped that this question would prompt them to speak again on their brilliant idea, and bring the focus on this innovative technique. However, what happened next was out of my expectation!

As soon as I said the final word, both speakers bolted stiff into defensive mode and one of them started replying immediately.

One said: "Yes yes, we need it very much. This is because..." and launched once again into explaining how the clever method works, which was already clear to me! I was trying to praise you for that, for god's sake!

After her lengthy explanation, her colleague supported by saying, "Yes, we need it very much!"

I soon realized that they had misheard my question -- "Is it unique to our company?" -- as the (slang and grammatically-incorrect-but-a-popular-Malaysian-usage) mangled English form of "Is it you need to our company?"

I had to repeat my question, and the audience was squirming with awkwardness and forced chuckles.

The embarrassment was mutual. But all in, what a pity that my subtle attempt to praise those good engineers in front of our top directors backfired to such an extent.

Really, it could have been great. What a pity really.

Remembering... Yasmin Ahmad

I've always believed in the concept of destiny -- that two people are fated for each other who will meet and connect within their lifetime. That's why I connected deeply emotionally to the central theme of Yasmin Ahmad's film Sepet, which stresses on destiny. The guy, since laying eyes on the girl, felt a certain connection that convinced him that she was his "yin fen" -- meaning, his destiny.

... from a previous posting, "Of Destiny, and Fate".

pic source

Why Can't I Be an Astronaut?

by Haji Juliahi Haji Suut as reproduced by Amde Sidik in Kadayan Journal (http://kadayanjournal.com/?p=1997)
Translated to English by CY the Gemini (http://karljam.blogspot.com)

Please refer to the translator's note at the end of the post.

I have a story to tell. Maybe I should write in the Proper Malay to allow our countrymen to preserve their dignity and ego. In the very least, they can be proud that our mother tongue has not lost out.

Last time when I was schooling at Tanjung Lobang College from Form 1 (in 1984) to Form 5, there were several discrepancies in the teaching-learning process. It was an alien atmosphere. I could remember the look of burden of my teachers' faces as they taught. Oftentimes they faltered for words, and struggled to find the next sentence. It was a pitiful state of affairs.

I can recall one Science teacher gasping for breath as he tried to deliver the lesson in his best Malay. We the students waited patiently until the sentence was complete, oftentimes interjecting wherever we could help. He was not the only teacher lost in a language transition. The same thing happened during Maths. In short we the students became the teachers.

At times the situations were totally beyond salvation. For example:

“Segi tiga sudut menentang segi lurus darjah tak sama.”
(Literal translation: "The alternating angles of a right-angled triangle are not equal.")

“Bila inertia habis dalam angin jatuhkan jasad kepada bawah.”
(Literal translation: "As there is no inertia in air, a body would drop.")

“Graviti membawakan jatuh epal dari bumi.”
(Literal translation: "Gravity causes an apple to fall to the ground.")

Thus we students were dumbfounded.

My teachers' pronunciation, sentence structure and tone of speech in the Malay language left much to be wanted. As a result, the presentation of their lessons suffered.

It is not an overstatement to state that the students of Tanjung Lobang College of my time relied heavily on text books for knowledge, as opposed to class lessons. The language of instruction was a severe hindrance to transference of knowledge. A lecture of 40 minutes could only provide 10 minutes of equivalent knowledge.

We know that if the mold is faulty, the result is defective. However it is not fair to blame the teachers or students of Tanjung Lobang College (1984-1988). It was more likely that the recipes for the mold was insufficiently prepared in the first place.

Enough with Proper Malay; I shall continue this article in the popular Malay.

It must be noted that the Tanjong Lobang College of my time is not without stature. It was a boarding school consisted of high achievers from all over Sarawak. Around 50 students were selected to launch the elite program. I was among those young pioneers, those so-called "selected students". We were the bright students carrying the national hope to become future engineers, doctors, scientists, or even better, astronauts.

It must be stated also that the teachers entrusted onto these genius classes at that time were not selected on a whim. They were professional teachers with excellent teaching records, degrees from overseas universities and were qualified to teach until Form 6 if they wanted to. They were, themselves, genius teachers.

To make a long story short, we genius students didn't become much of geniuses. Of course, some became engineers and doctors after our schooling days. They were all not handsome. The handsome ones like yours truly only managed Grade 2 in SPM and until now I can't build my own rocket. Most of us became housewives and contractors. One or two became bank clerks and office boys.

So what went wrong with the geniuses of Class 1984? Why can't I be an astronaut?

If we were to say that the teachers were not good tutors, that would be unfair. If we were to say the students were too smart to be taught, that is even more ridiculous. So what went wrong?

Perhaps the most likely culprit was the language of instruction. When chemical reactions taught in the classroom were spelt differently from those found in the guide book and library references, it is normal to become a bit disoriented. And why not? To have to refer to bilingual dictionaries of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka was a waste of energy and time. And when you needed to do so on a repetitive basis, cross-referencing became a chore.

Before moving on to other national issues, I wish to convey my regards to all the genius teachers of Tanjung Lobang College, Mdm. Yeoh Bang Keng, Mary Chiam and May Ho Leng. You have all done your best, and we know that. Thank you very much. To Anuar, Shukri, Hasimah and the others; thank you so much as well. We have tried our best.

_______________________
Translator's note: I translated this article as I could relate with the author and also to increase its accessibility to readers less proficient in the Malay language. Any discrepancies in translation are my responsibility. As I completed translating, I found the original version of the article, which is considerably different and much longer, here (http://knightadventure.blogspot.com/2008/06/english-vs-melayu.html). As such, this translation is for the article as reproduced in Kadayan Journal.

Big Jokes Don't Fly

This post, its main objective is to keep this blog alive, since I haven't been blogging much since I discovered the joys of fayshbook. Fayshbook is much more interactive -- you can write a note and tag people, forcing them to read it (hahaha), and the shy ones with nothing to say can just indicate they 'like' your status or photo or music or note or whatever else you post there. Blogs are fast becoming tainted with political stuff. Stuff that make your blood boil with intense hate for our politicians and for people of our own kind, stuff that make you forget to be thankful for the little things that go well with our lives, despite the obvious weaknesses.

Everyone has problems, everyone has troubles. But the ones with the most problems and troubles look beyond them and smile. While we of many blessings, nitpick at the one or two loose threads on our fine shirts.

I still remember when blogging started as a trend in Malaysia, we were all maintaining our little private secret online diaries, just me myself I and whoever else cared to read -- words from our mind, we vent here when no one else listened. For paper is silent, paper is kind and paper is gentle. Paper does not talk back, paper does not interrupt you mid-sentence. And blog was the new kind of paper.

When I think back of my academic life, I have always wanted to prove a point or another, sometime or the other. For example, when I went into university, I wanted to prove it was all a big joke, this education system. This system that says you have to go through a processing factory for a few years, exit a somewhat repackaged, 'safe' product and then only you can start 'living'. And that was the mindset that I harboured throughout the first year of university. That this is all a joke. I felt like an arts student studying science, for my mind was free and unbounded by the limitation of words and man-made boundary, but I soon began to love what I gradually began to understand and find simple...

Then I soon encountered snobbish seniors and arrogant Dean Listers, and I vowed to achieve the Dean's List myself in order to prove it is nothing to be proud of. And soon enough, I achieved it. And then I graduated. The joke was complete. Then in the final year of study, my lecturer said it's hard to get accepted for oversea study. I vowed to prove him wrong on this point; I haven't succeeded.

But looking back now I wonder, I really wonder -- why has my life been about proving people wrong? And when has this what started as a big joke, now has become a love of my life, a long-term relationship?

Today's thoughts, transcribed

It's like an infusion of meaning into an empty cause, one which has been explored and abandoned many decades ago, one which was unfortunately assigned to me. It's heartening to realize how much your work is appreciated, when, after spending so much time with the trees, you start to forget the names of the forests.

It's the birds of endless creatures fluttering about their wingless parades, preying on the helpless with eyes that see through the times of change that flow, and blowing with the seasons they watch. And wait. And wait.

The limitations of words in transcribing raw feelings and emotions, I have recorded prior. It's imperative to recognize this fact. And those that berate language to its vast unimportance seek to shelf a part of their mouths in silence, and shame on them if their hearts never saw the light of day, of a blossoming flower in pure poetry lightens the lips of a fair maiden composed.

It's late. But time is relative, as not far away a world is awake. Not so long from now the cycle returns all that are up to down, and all that are down to up. It's a clambering for order in a world where two opposites make up the entity, where disorder rules the mind. And this consciousness, it's alive within us.

"Mermen on the shore"

Please enjoy my latest composition: (you might prefer to download it -- Right click and Save Link As...)

bright eyed, cannon ball you
glanced into my mind and
pulled some strings of
words constructed#

where sailors roam the land
and pretty maidens on the sea
they wait for mermen on the shore
like you and me

* and i feel i wanna know the end
taking shortcuts thru a field of dreams
all the MEMories i've GOT oh i would give it in exchange
for a glimpse of who I'm gonna be

strange light pantomime
along the 22nd street@
at nights like these you feel at home
they stole my heart but
i don't mind
i've got plenty more to give
but to whom and when
the answer lies

Some notes:
@ 22 refers to a popular Elton John song with the line "22nd row".
# This verse is loosely adapted from an earlier song, Song-Giver.

I've spent a lot of time making this song, so please leave a comment :)

Words of the Wise

These words I foresee will come in handy for me in the future. I post them here so I can refer to them when the time comes:

"I have dealt with difficult children a number of times - one thing i do know is, all children or teenagers, no matter how bad you think they are, usually eventually responds [sic] to patience, kindness & sincerity. Don't shout, don't dig it in & make the child feel worse than he/she is already feeling. Take a breather, try another approach. But never ever hit a child. Hitting a child is similar to teaching the kid, violence is okay. He will carry this in him for the rest of his life."

- Online commentator "lynn"

"... education requires nothing more than just a little love,encouragement and the sincerity that comes from compassion for the job."

- Online commentator "imanj"

From Malaysia Today, http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/20474/84/

Wax On, Wax Off

On NTV7's Breakfast Show this (Friday) morning, Zaini and Naz were discussing PM Najib's new Cabinet line-up. After they were done they invited people to call in and talk to them. It always gets interesting at this point (I watch this show every morning; well, partially anyways, before I go to work).

The first caller described the new line-up as "new wax on an old car". Zaini and Naz's earpieces must have been burning with instructions from the Producer, for they immediately bolted straight up and started talking very quickly about how we should give the new ministers a chance to prove themselves. Naz asked the caller, "Which is more important: the external appearance of the car, or that the old car is running?" The cornered caller replied, "Of course that the old car is running".

Smiling, Naz repeated his point that the new ministers should be given a chance. The caller relented and ended the call.

They then took on the next caller, a frequent caller by the name of Haji Othman, whose first comment after the pleasantries was: "You know, it's like old wine in a new bottle".

You should have seen the look on Zaini's face!

..........................................*...........................*........................... *

On a related note, I personally prefer the anchor combination of Will and Naz, though it's very rare that both of these guys are together. Will Quah is knowledgeable and outspoken, Naz is entertaining and refreshing, whereas Zaini Ahmad likes to interrupt his co-author at every end of the sentence too much and Joanne tends to be too safe/passive (sorry!).

NTV7 if you're reading this, please consider increasing the frequency of a Will-Naz combination, thank you!